A problem long associated with the game of golf is the time and inconvenience spent in locating xe2x80x9clostxe2x80x9d golf balls, especially with golf beginners.
Many golf courses direct the players to spend no more than a few minutes searching for lost golf balls in order not to delay the following groups of players.
On New England golf courses, with the occurrence of colored leaves upon the change of seasons, visual observation of a golf ball is very difficult.
Although electronic golf ball detecting devices requiring the insertion of a metal chip within the golf ball or a metallic coating on the golf ball surface are currently available, such devices have not realized commercial success.
It would be economically advantageous to the golf player as well as to the golf course management for a golf player to rapidly retrieve his or her golf ball with the minimum amount of time, and without having to expend a substantial amount of money.
One purpose of the instant invention is to describe a simple, inexpensive device for retrieving golf balls, when the golf player has a general indication of the flight of the golf ball prior to impact.
The invention comprises a golf ball locating device in the form of a light aluminum hollow cylinder including a high-speed intake fan and an electronic detection circuit. The detection circuit is conditioned for responding to a particular aroma, to which the golf ball has been previously subjected. An LED on the top surface of the cylinder turns on by interaction with the air sample that contains the particular odor and becomes increasingly brighter as the locating device approaches the golf ball. An audible signal and/or vibrator could also be employed to provide further indication that the device is in the vicinity of the golf ball.